Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

N.T. (BOAT IN WATER)

Date Range From

1947

Date Range To

1964

Materials

OIL, MASONITE, WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Height

51.7

Length

61.7

Width

6.2

Description

PAINTED BEIGE AND GOLD WOOD FRAME HOLDS OIL PAINTING ON MASONITE. SCENE DEPICTS ABSTRACTED BODY OF WATER WITH BOAT. SIGNED AT BOTTOM RIGHT, “E.E.RIETHMAN.” REVERSE OF FRAME HAS WRITTEN, “PROPERTY OF LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, 3, 95.00.” REVERSE OF MASONITE HAS WRITTEN IN PERMANENT MARKER, “11,” ENCLOSED WITH CIRCLE AND IN GRAPHITE, “#3, 95.” HANGING METHOD IS EYEHOOK SCREWS AND WIRE ACROSS BACK.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

ERNEST EDWARD RIETHMAN (1895 - 1964) WAS BORN IN SWITZERLAND IN 1895 AND WENT ON TO STUDY ART AT AN ACADEMY IN BASIL, THEN AT THE INDUSTRIAL SCHOOL OF INTERIOR DECORATING AND PAINTING. IN 1919 HE CAME TO CANADA SETTLING IN LETHBRIDGE IN 1947. HE WORKED AS AN INTERIOR DECORATOR IN THE CITY, AND HIS WORK WAS HIGHLY SOUGHT. HE WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED LANDSCAPE ARTIST AND WOULD FREQUENTLY JOIN TRIPS ORGANIZED BY A.Y.JACKSON, WHOSE STYLE IS SAID TO HAVE HEAVILY INFLUENCED RIETHMAN’S. DURING HIS TIME WITH THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB, HE SERVED AS BOTH HEAD OF COMMITTEES AND TAUGHT LESSONS IN FIGURE DRAWING. RIETHMAN WAS SUCCESSFUL IN WHAT HE DID, AS CRITICS ENJOYED HIS WORK AND HE WAS ABLE TO FREQUENTLY DISPLAY IN EXHIBITIONS. AT THE TIME OF DONATION, THE PAINTING WAS IN THE POSSESSION OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB. OVER THE YEARS, ARTIST, FAMILY MEMBERS AND PATRONS HAVE DONATED PREVIOUSLY ACQUIRED WORKS BACK TO THE CLUB’S COLLECTION. THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB HELD THEIR FIRST MEETING AT THE HOME OF MISS ANNA MACKENZIE ON OCTOBER 7, 1936. EDITH FANNY KIRK WAS THE FIRST ART TEACHER IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE CAME FROM BRITAIN WITH CLASSICAL TRAINING AND IT WAS KIRK WHO SET THE STAGE FOR THE SKETCH CLUB TO COME INTO BEING. THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE FORMATION BY PROVIDING RECOGNITION OF ARTISTIC MERIT THROUGH DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIPS. ANNA MACKENZIE AND P.J. COLLINS CONCEIVED OF THE CLUB AFTER THEIR EXPERIENCE IN BANFF. THE GROUP WAS FORMED OUT OF AN ENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST IN ART AND SOON AFTER THE GROUP BEGAN MEETING, THERE WERE REGULAR EXHIBITIONS. THE GROUP WAS PRIVY TO THE ATTENTION OF GROUP OF SEVEN ARTIST A.Y.JACKSON WHEN HE MADE HIS FREQUENT SKETCHING TRIPS TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA. HE REGULARLY ACCOMPANIED THE SKETCH CLUB AND HIS INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN IN MUCH OF THEIR WORK. ANOTHER GUEST OF THE GROUP WAS ANNORA BROWN WHO WAS AN ARTIST WHO HAD TRAINED IN TORONTO, BUT RESIDED IN FORT MACLEOD AND BEGAN SPENDING TIME WITH THE GROUP IN 1939. HER INTEREST IN FLOWER STUDIES IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE INSPIRED MANY OF THE WORKS BY CLUB MEMBERS. DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, THE GROUP ORGANIZED SUMMER CLASSES TAUGHT BY OUT OF TOWN ARTISTS SUCH AS: H.G.GLYDE, WALTER J. PHILIPS AND A.C. LEIGHTON. ACCORDING TO A HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB WRITTEN BY JOAN STEBBINS IN JUNE, 1985, “THE PAINTINGS OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB PORTRAY FAVOURITE SKETCHING AREAS IN THE REGION – THE COULEES PROVIDED ENDLESS MATERIAL, THE RIVERBOTTOM, THE OLD R.C.M.P. BARRACKS, THE WHITNEY FARM, HENDERSON LAKE, THE FELGER HUTTERITE COLONY, THE FOOTHILLS AND WATERTON LAKE WERE OFTEN REPEATED SUBJECTS.” FOR PREVIOUS DONATION OF RIETHMAN’S WORK, SEE P19705197000. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE. UPDATE: ON 24 OCTOBER 2019, ERNEST E. RIETHMAN’S GRANDDAUGHTER LINDA BAINES SHARED A “PERSONAL RECORD” WITH MUSEUM STAFF. THE LATTER DAY SAINT DOCUMENT WAS COMPLETED BY HER GRANDMOTHER CLARA S. RIETHMAN--ERNEST’S WIFE. IT IS A HANDWRITTEN CHRONOLOGY OF CLARA’S LIFE IN SWITZERLAND AND ALBERTA. PERSONAL INFORMATION CONTAINED WITHIN THE DOCUMENT EXTENDS TO ERNEST’S LIFE . TO SEE THIS RECORD, PLEASE SEE P19705197000’S PERMANENT FILE.

Catalogue Number

P20120030007

Acquisition Date

2012-08

Collection

Museum

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